Toney Douglas is realistic enough to know that he has had an up-and-down season, and he's smart enough to know what you're probably thinking.

He's managed to put up his best games when the fervor has seemingly grown its loudest to replace him with an upgrade at backup point guard.

Douglas scored a season-high 21 points when the Warriors didn't have starting point guard Stephen Curry in San Antonio in November, and the 27-year-old reserve has similarly responded with big outings each time the team has been linked to possible deals for Toronto's Kyle Lowry, Denver's Andre Miller and Chicago's Kirk Hinrich.

"I've never even heard about that stuff," Douglas said. "I don't read about that or listen to stuff about that. I'm just here to do my job. There are always going to be rumors. That's part of the league, but that's out of my control. I can control only how I play when I'm out there."

After he had his breakout game in San Antonio, Douglas had to sit out for a month with a stress reaction in his leg. Since coming back, his playing time has fluctuated, and his numbers have dipped to career lows. He's averaging 3.7 points and 0.8 assists to 0.7 turnovers in 11 minutes per game.

Though he's "always trying to get better," Warriors general manager Bob Myers wanted to wait to make a move until he got an extended evaluation period with his full squad. The past 14 games might have acted as just that.

With Andre Iguodala back in the lineup, the Warriors have gone 12-2. They've also proven that their problems aren't completely solved.

The Warriors rank 29th out of the league's 30 teams with 17.1 turnovers per game. Some of that could be because the Warriors tend to push the tempo, and they do jump into a tie for 18th when it comes to assist-to-turnover ratio.

With big man Jermaine O'Neal (wrist) expected back in three to four weeks, center Festus Ezeli (knee) projected to be following O'Neal into the rotation, and Marreese Speights playing well in their stead, the Warriors' biggest need is a steady backup point guard.

"They haven't been able to fill Jarrett Jack's shoes, and because of that, they've had to overuse Steph Curry," said ESPN analyst Avery Johnson, who will be on "NBA Countdown" ahead of the Warriors' national telecast against Denver on Wednesday. "A guy like Andre Miller could definitely help, and that's what you see from some of the really elite teams in the Western Conference. Chris Paul has Darren Collison and Russell Westbrook has Reggie Jackson, but I think the Warriors are lacking in that department."

Miller has been on a leave from the Nuggets since Jan. 1, when they were amid an eight-game losing streak and he got into a yelling match with head coach Brian Shaw. The Warriors have also been rumored to be interested in Lowry, Hinrich, Charlotte's Ramon Sessions and Orlando's Jameer Nelson.

The Warriors don't want to break up their core, and they don't have many assets. The NBA doesn't allow teams to trade first-round picks in back-to-back years, and the Warriors have already dealt their selections in 2014 and 2017. They don't have a second-round pick until 2018.

The Warriors do have $4 million and $11 million traded-player exceptions, but acquiring most of the mentioned options would take the Warriors over the league's luxury-tax threshold.

Douglas maintains that the team might not have to act just yet. The trade deadline isn't until Feb. 20, and he said he's starting to round back into basketball shape and beginning to rediscover his "groove."

"If I'm out there playing, I don't like making excuses," he said. "I've never been that type of player. If I'm out there, I'm out there. All I can do is (keep) getting treatment on it. I feel better than I did before, I'm able to go, and when I'm out there, I'm going to go all out.

"When I'm able to be out there for an extended time, I'll be able to show that I belong out there on the floor. That's how I am once I get the opportunity."

Wednesday's game

Who: Nuggets (19-18) at Warriors (25-14)

Where: Oracle Arena

When: 7:30 p.m.

TV/Radio: ESPN/CSNBA/680

Of note: The Warriors have dropped eight of the past 10 regular-season series to Denver, but they won last year's first-round playoff matchup 4-2 and tipped off this season's four-game set with an 89-81 road victory Dec. 23. ... The Nuggets have been streaky - winning seven straight from Nov. 21-Dec. 3 and five in a row from Jan. 3-11 with an eight-game losing streak from Dec. 17-Jan. 1. ... Point guards Stephen Curry and Ty Lawson are two of four players in the league averaging at least 17 points and eight assists and two of four with at least 10 games of 20 points and eight assists. ... Denver's bench leads the league in rebounds and is third in scoring. ... The Nuggets are still without Danilo Gallinari (rehabbing after ACL surgery in April) and JaVale McGee (sidelined since early November with a tibia stress fracture).